If a loved one of yours has been diagnosed with breast cancer, you will need some basic information, in order to help as much as you can. This article is meant to help you learn how breast cancer usually develops, what factors may put you at higher risk, and you can also learn more about symptoms and signs to watch for.There are many things that lead to abnormal cell growth, the main result of which is often cancer. Cancer can result from stress, obesity, alcohol use, smoking, pesticides, hormones and pollutants. Or your cells might get rerouted by genetics to produce the wrong types of cells.Breast cancer is a growth of breast cells that is abnormal and uncontrolled. It's important to understand how cancer cells develop.Cancer often occurs resulting from abnormal changes in the genes that are usually responsible for keeping cells healthy and for regulating their growth. The genes are found in the nucleus of the cells, and they act as control rooms for the cells. Usually, our bodies' cells replace themselves through a process of growth that is orderly. Healthy cells take over as older cells die. But sometimes, mutations will cause certain genes to turn on, and the normal cells will be turned off. The new and mutated cells have the ability to divide without order or control, and this results in the production of more abnormal cells that form a tumor.Tumors may be either malignant, which means that they have the potential to be dangerous, or benign, which means not usually dangerous to health. Tumors that are benign aren't usually considered to be cancerous. Their cells grow slowly, they are almost normal in appearance, and they don't spread to other body parts. Malignant cells are usually cancerous, and they will often spread, if left unchecked, to other parts of the body.Breast cancer refers to a tumor that is malignant and developed from breast cells. The cancer begins either in the ducts, which are the passages that drain the lobules, or in the cells of the lobules themselves.Over time, the cancer cells in the breast may invade other breast tissue and affect the lymph nodes under the arms. Once there, they have an open path to other parts of the body. The cancer will then go into more advanced types.Breast cancer is always caused by a mistake in the genetics, but only five to ten percent are caused by an inherited abnormality. Ninety percent of cancer in the breast is caused by abnormalities that happen as your body ages, due to life's natural wear and tear.Breast cancer is never the fault of the victim - try to keep a positive attitude about your prognosis, and realize that breast cancer did not happen because of something that you did.